Head of Market Security

Who are we?

Howden is a collective – a group of talented and passionate people all around the world. Together, we have pushed the boundaries of insurance. We are united by a shared passion and no-limits mindset, and our strength lies in our ability to collaborate as a powerful international team comprised of 20,000 employees spanning over 100 countries.

We\’re moving from strength to strength, expanding our global reach and growing both organically and through strategic, high-quality mergers and acquisitions. By bringing together diverse expertise and perspectives, we\’re enhancing our unique culture and values, whilst continuing to expand our capability to innovate, and deliver exceptional solutions for our clients.

The Role

This is a senior leadership position within Howden, responsible for overseeing the Security and Counterparty (S&CP) function. The role plays a key part in ensuring the compliant onboarding and ongoing monitoring of clients, insurers, and other counterparties across the business. You will lead a team responsible for maintaining the integrity of broking system records, managing key processes such as the Electronic Onboarding System (EOS Onboarder), and supporting the business with regulatory and operational requirements.

You’ll work closely with senior stakeholders, including contributing to committees and reporting to the Board, while also managing outsourced resources and driving continuous improvement across the team. This is a strategic and hands-on role, ideal for someone with strong leadership, regulatory, and operational experience in the insurance sector.

What You’ll Be Doing

• Leading and managing the Security & Counterparty team, including oversight of outsourced resources.
• Acting as a key referral point for onboarding clients, insurers, and counterparties.
• Managing the Electronic Onboarding System (EOS Onboarder) ensuring data integrity across broking systems.
• Maintaining the Security Register.
• Chairing the Security Committee and contributing to the Operations Committee and Financial Crime Committee as needed.
• Supporting the business with agency/intermediary questionnaires and regulatory queries.
• Ensuring policies, procedures, and documentation are up to date and fit for purpose.
• Building strong relationships across the business to promote awareness and compliance.
• Reporting relevant management information to senior leadership and the Board.

Who We’re Looking For

• Proven experience managing teams, ideally across multiple locations.
• Strong background in broking, particularly in compliance, market security and Know Your Client and agency applications.
• Experience working with senior stakeholders, including executive-level engagement.
• Solid understanding of the FCA Handbook ,IDD and regulatory frameworks relevant to insurance.
• Commercial awareness and ability to apply regulation in a practical, business-focused way.
• Strong communication skills, both written and verbal, with the ability to simplify complex topics.
• Analytical and problem-solving mindset with attention to detail.
• Experience chairing or contributing to governance committees.
• Familiarity with broking systems and data integrity processes.
• A university degree or recognised industry qualification (e.g. ACII) is preferred.

What do we offer in return?

A career that you define. At Howden, we value diversity – there is no one Howden type. Instead, we’re looking for individuals who share the same values as us:

• Our successes have all come from someone brave enough to try something new
• We support each other in the small everyday moments and the bigger challenges
• We are determined to make a positive difference at work and beyond

Diversity and Inclusion

At Howden we value diversity – there is no one Howden ‘personality type’. Instead, we’re looking for individuals who share the same values as us:

• Our successes have all come from someone brave enough to try something new
• We support each other, in the small everyday moments and the bigger challenges
• We are determined to make a positive difference, at work and beyond

We consider our people our chief competitive advantage and as such we treat colleagues, candidates, clients, and business partners with equality, fairness, and respect – regardless of age, disability, race, religion or belief, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, or family circumstances.

Reasonable adjustments

We\’re committed to providing reasonable accommodations at Howden to ensure that our positions align well with your needs. Besides the usual adjustments such as software, IT, and office setups, we can also accommodate other changes such as flexible hours* or hybrid working*.

If you\’re excited by this role but have some doubts about whether it’s the right fit for you, send us your application – if your profile fits the role’s criteria, we will be in touch to assist in helping to get you set up with any reasonable adjustments you may require.

*Not all positions can accommodate changes to working hours or locations. Reach out to your Recruitment Partner if you want to know more.

Our sustainability promise

We’re on a life-long journey to become an ever-more sustainable group. It\’s a commitment to taking care of our people and the world we live in, to doing good business, and to making a positive impact wherever we can. Our governance processes, company policies, and review systems are all geared towards our goal of making a positive impact in the world. You can read more about our sustainability work here.